In transporting cargo of many varieties, it is often common to use a vehicle that has basically a large cargo area, such as a railway freight car or an over-the-road tractor trailer truck arrangement. Such vehicles are commonly used because of their flexibility and adaptability to handle a variety of cargo. However, because of the generally open nature of the cargo space, such vehicles often do not lend themselves to securing, protecting, or isolating specific cargo needs. It is therefore desirable to have a method or apparatus to partition an open cargo area into a smaller cargo area more specifically capable of handling the shipping requirements of individual cargo items. Often times cargo, such as steel coils, paper or coils of soft metals like aluminum or electrical cable can be damaged by contact with portions of the vehicle or between other coils inside the vehicle during transit. It is one of the objects of this invention to provide an easy to use apparatus and method for dividing an open cargo area into a number of partitions, specifically to meet the needs of a given cargo item. Such load division can be sufficiently flexible and adaptable so as to provide partitioned areas to fit a variety of sized items within a mixed cargo or to fit a large number of similar items on board a single vehicle.